


Good Mourning

by stayoutoftheforest (kensie_leigh)



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/F, Possibly Unrequited Love, Series of Oneshots, Slice of Life, broody emo rei, song: good mourning (halsey)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-13 03:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14740869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kensie_leigh/pseuds/stayoutoftheforest
Summary: Don't trust the moon,She's always changing.The shores bend and break for herAnd she begs to be loved.-Halsey, Good MourningA series of Rei-centric oneshots inspired by a little song we all love to hate, and Rei's unwavering devotion to her Princess.





	Good Mourning

Rei stretches her legs out, the backs of her thighs scraping against the rapidly cooling concrete of the shrine steps. It was too early in the year for shorts - the sakura blossoms still weeks away from making their debut, and the sun scarcely waiting til she'd returned home from school before slipping behind the horizon. But Rei's always run hot, and besides, she figures it can't hurt to let her knee feel the chill of the early evening air. It's still swollen and angry pink from the battle two days prior, though she notes with some relief that the bruising has already begun to fade. 

It had all been stupid, really. The youma, some sort of small green creature (a leprechaun, Minako had called it later, laughing about how timely its appearance had been and making some crack about the Dark Kingdom owning a stake in Hallmark that Rei didn't quite understand), had been easy enough to subdue, Mars riding a surge of adrenaline as Fire Soul hit the youma with such force that it was all but crippled in an instant. The acrid scent of burning otherworldly flesh hit the back of Mars' throat, rich and heady like a perfectly seared steak paired with rich red wine. She craved more, her heart racing. One more would finish it off entirely, though she relinquished control before she could strike, the Moon Stick glinting in Sailor Moon's hand, Mars' lust for vengeance quickly dissipating as she felt Sailor Moon's soothing energy lapping at the edges of her consciousness. The way they seamlessly balanced each other in battle made their arguments as Rei and Usagi all the more infuriating. This is how good it could be, Rei found herself thinking more than once. 

As the felt Sailor Moon's energy flicker and falter as she raised the Moon Stick to the sky, Mars was jolted into hyper-awareness. This wasn't right. She had incapacitated the youma, she had felt it, but here it was, rising to its feet, surrounded by a prismatic mist. Mars blinked fiercely. Either the mist was distorting her perception or - fuck - it was growing larger. Exponentially larger. 

"Sailor Moon!" Mars shouted, the words reverberating in her bones. The youma raised its hands in the air, ready to strike. With a leap, Mars shoved Sailor Moon to the ground, shielding her with her body. They skidded across the grass, a tangle of limbs. Mars' knee slammed against the concrete pathway, crushed under both their weight. Tears immediately stung Mars' eyes. She tasted blood, though she couldn't be sure whose, or from where it came. Sailor Moon - thank god, thank GODS - was unscathed enough to stare at Mars with incredulity until her eyes landed on the gaping crater that now occupied the spot on which she stood only seconds before. 

"Mars-chan," She breathed, her gloved hand stroking the back of Mars' cheek, soft and calming.

"Look, lovebirds, there's time for that later," Came Venus's voice from behind her. Mars could have sworn there was a note of spite in her tone, but it could have been the distortion of her heartbeat pounding inside her ears. "I'll look after Sailor Mars. Sailor Moon, you have a job to do." 

As Venus's arms wrapped around her, Mars succumbed to the warm embrace of unconsciousness. 

They had won. Of course they had won. Ami had recounted the details once they were back at the shrine, but Rei had been more fixated on the way Usagi seemed to dodge her gaze.

And now, days later, Usagi has been making herself scarce. 

She supposes she should go back inside. Ami and Makoto are still splayed across her living room, cramming for tomorrow's English exam. Rei's almost jealous. If she had an exam tomorrow at TA, maybe she could distract herself instead of…whatever it was she was doing now. Sitting on the shrine steps, scanning the sidewalk for two blonde odango and a public school uniform. 

It's only when she's ready to give up, re-rolling the tensor bandage over her aching knee in preparation for the walk (more of a hobble, really) back inside, that she hears Phobos and Deimos cackling up a storm. 

"What is it, my loves?" She demurred, not quite able to make out her birds' shape in the encroaching dark. Rei could sense no disturbance in the energy tonight. So it was something earthly, then. A mouse, perhaps. Or an old lady with a bag of bread crumbs. Or - 

"Rei-chaaaaaaaaaan!" Usagi, arms flailing as the ravens tried valiantly to sample from the box of donuts clutched to her chest. Rei laughed in spite of herself, wriggling her toes back into her ballet flats. 

"Phobos! Deimos!" She rose to her feet, holding her arm out. "Come, my loves! We don't bother odango atama. Not when she hasn't bothered us first." She grins at Usagi, her birds coming to perch on her proffered arm. Phobos tilts his head at her, and Rei swears he looks almost disappointed. 

Usagi collapses onto the top step, her breath coming in puffs from her pink cheeks. "Did I do something to them in a past life? Because I swear this is personal." She glares up at Rei's birds. 

"Right, this has nothing to do with the fact that they know you carry snacks with you every day. And the fact that for a warrior of love and justice, you sure get brought down easy by a few stairs. Let's hope the Dark Kingdom never finds out that a staircase will bring you down faster than any youma. Maybe then I can keep my other knee in tact." The words spill from Rei's lips before her brain can catch up. 

Usagi shifts uncomfortably. With Rei standing beside her, she's eye level with the bandaged knee. She reaches out, her fingertips barely grazing over the tensor bandage. A shiver slides up Rei's spine. "Rei-chan, I'm…I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, odango. Besides, looks worse than it is. We heal fast, remember? Luna said it'll be good as new in a few days." 

"Until the next time." Usagi's playing with a loose thread on the hem of her skirt. "I mean, we both know there's gonna be a next time." There's a shift in Usagi, Rei thinks. A flicker of something from long ago, something familiar that she can't quite put her finger on, like a memory of a dream. "You can't sacrifice yourself for me, Mars. When it comes down to it, you have to put yourself first. I don't want to be the reason for….for…." the words seem to be caught in Usagi's throat. "Well, for if something worse happens."

Rei gulps and she tries with all her energy to grasp at the memory, but it just flits further away. She shifts her focus to something more tangible. "Why'd you call me Mars?"

"Did I?" Usagi blinks. "Sorry, I guess, slip of the tongue. We're transforming so much these days, it's hard to keep track." She forces a small laugh. 

"Anyway, it doesn't matter. It's not like it's a choice, you know? You think I want to be killed saving your dumb ass all the time?" 

Usagi looks like a cowering puppy. It's hard to believe she's the same girl who wields such power on the battlefield. 

Rei runs her fingertips through her hair, pulling it away from her face in exasperation. "Sorry, I…I didn't mean that. I mean, well, I did. But I didn't mean it to come out like that." 

Usagi nods slowly, and Rei sinks back down to the step. Usagi's hand finds hers. The silent city spreads out before them.

After what could have been minutes, or hours, or mere seconds, Usagi plants a soft kiss to Rei's cheek. "Thank you." She whispers. "I love you, you know, Rei-chan." 

Rei nods, squeezes Usagi's hand. "Go inside. The girls are probably dying for some donuts." She turns back to the skyline. "I think I just need a minute more." 

Usagi makes it half way to the door before turning around. She shrugs off her jean jacket and runs back to Rei, wrapping it around her shoulders before silently turning back into the house. 

Rei can hear far off giggles as Usagi greets their friends, and hugs the jacket tighter around herself. The extra warmth is inviting rather than uncomfortable, like the radiant heat from sand at a beach, or the way a hot coffee teases at her lips. She inhales deep, Usagi's scent enveloping her, and thinks for the first time that, yes, maybe this is love.

**Author's Note:**

> So this started off as a half-joking prompt from my fiancee and grew into something, well, quite a bit bigger and entirely different than expected. More chapters coming soon!


End file.
